>> good evening, everyone. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm al seigenthaler in new york. another school shooting just miles from column bine the day before the anniversary. school security spending millions to try to protect students. will panic buttons and secure ids make a difference? snowstorm. the northeast braces for another wintry hit. get ready for up to a foot of snow. and whale wars. he is a wanted man on three continents tonight we will talk about the captain about his passion for protecting whales and his extreme tactics.

we are starting to see the pictures from centennial colorado. the thought was not again. not another school shooting and not in colorado. this shooting took place in arapahoe high school just a short drive from aurora, colorado where 12 people died in a theater shooting and near columbine where people were killed in 1999. let's join a press conference. >> i'm grayson robinson, the a ron hoe county sheriff. we are here to update you on the tragic shooting that happened today at arapahoe high school. as you are probably well aware at 12:33 this afternoon, a school resource officer assigned to the arapahoe high school called out for

assistance on some type of situation on the west side of the school. the deputy immediately realized that an armed student had come into the school and had shot one student in the immediate entry area of the west area of the arapahoe high school. the deputy and security staff from littleton public schools immediately responded to that area. along with responding deputies from the arapahoe county sheriff's office, and they immediately implemented our active shooter protocol. our active shooter protocol is exactly the same as the active shooter protocols that have been trained locally and regionally and across the united states. and that protocol and that purpose relative to the active shooter response is to go immediately to the threat and eliminate the threat. the deputy that is assigned as a school resource officer did

exactly as he was trained and as he is expected to do. from the time that the deputy called out the incident until the time that he discovered the ins -- the shooters buddy was within five minutes. the deputy did his job, school security did their job and the additional responding deputy sheriffs that made up the active shooter response team did their job extraordinarily well. i believe that their quick response and their reaction saved lives in this particular incident. i have no way of knowing nor will i have a way of knowing, but i believe the shooter knew that deputy sheriffs were immediately about to engage him and i believe that that shooter took his life because he knew that he had been found. i also wanted to ensure that all of you understand how

grateful i am for the unbelievable response of resources and individuals from public safety entities across the south metropolitan area to this incident. the men and women that responded to this incident acted grangeusly, they acted exactly as they were trained and they collaborated in the best interest of the public safety of our community and, most importantly, the student body of arapahoe high school. we evacuated the school fairly quickly but we did it deliberately. while we were evacuating the school, no staff, no students, no members of the community were injured and that is a very, very marked comment because the evacuation was done in an organized and very thoughtful and deliberate manner so that we ensured that there were no other injuries to anyone while they were

being evacuated. we now have closed down both of our reunification centers. one at the shepherd of the hills church and the second one euclid middle school. all of the students that were in the school today during tragic incident have been reunited with their family and with their friends. we know that they are all safe. i'm sad to tell you that we have two students that were injured. one student suffered a minor gunshot wound, was treated at the hospital and within the last half hour has been released to parents. sadly i must also inform you that a 15-year-old student who suffered a significant gunshot wound is currently listed in critical condition in a local medical facility. as i mentioned at our last meeting our thoughts and our prayers are with that dear

young lady and with her family. our investigation continues. and our investigation will go forward for the remainder of the weekend. we anticipate that arapahoe high school will be closed as a result of our investigation at least through sunday and possibly longer. we have a very detailed and complex investigation to conduct. we have a great deal of evidence that we need to evaluate and collect. we will do it right. we won't do it quick. our purpose now is to ensure that we serve our community so that the end of our investigation, our community and those that have interest will understand exactly how this happened and we are hopeful that we will be able to identify why it happened. that will take some time we currently have crime scene investigators from the arapahoe county sheriffs

office, -- >> that is sheriff grayson robinson. of course we will continue to monitor this press conference and bring you any other additional information we have. we do know two students were injured. one minor gunshot wound, the other in critical condition, a young female student. paul beban is standing by for us in centennial colorado to tell us what happened. the most difficult pictures to watch have been the parents waiting and the students holding their hands up as they are searched to make sure the a. but we spoke to students who ran across the street here. many ended up in a starbucks across the street. but i want to talk about what the sheriff was saying there.

emphasizing the professionalism and the protocols that were in place of the response implying that the shooter knew that he didn't have a lot of time the sheriff also mentioned earlier that the teacher who the student announced that he was seeking as he brandished the shotgun coming into the front of the school, may have had the presence of mind to try to lure the student out of the school making it clear that he was leaving the school and somehow trying to communicate that he was leaving and the student should follow him. we don't have a lot of details on that. but if that is the case, extraordinary presence of mind by the teacher to get the shooter south of the school. you mentioned the reunification the students and their parents, that has been happening all afternoon and into the evening. we are still seeing until a short while ago, in fact, here goes a school bus, one of the school buses that was transporting students from the school to local churches that were the reunification centers. we saw kids wrapped in

blankets. some of them in socks. some maybe run out of gym class or rock centennial. we will get back to you if you have more information on this. >> we want to draw in another part of this story. in the year since the newtown shooting schools across the country have been looking for ways to keep students safe. today's school shooting reminds us of how difficult that can be. in illinois, enhanced security and lock down drills have been mandatory since 2005. ash-har consider usualy has more. >> security has taken -- security is taken extremely seriously. >> i would like to see the principal. >> before gaining entry, they must present identity -- identification at this window, the id is scanned into a computer for an instant background check is performed

cross referencing against the national sex offender registry. in addition, in case of a problem... a bullet resistant shield can than pulled down and panic button informs police. >> there is a new entrance, more secure entrance. formerly the entrance was sort of upstairs and in the middle of the hallway so people would get buzzed in and there is no ensuring that our visitors would go where they were supposed to go. into it is all part of a $5 million investment the district made four years ago no update the security programs. >> 2005 illinois passed the public safety drill act to conduct annual lock down drills. the middle school put their plans into action when there was report of a student bringing a weapon to school staff here has been trained using videos so they can guide

students through practice emergency drills. the school immediately launched the lockdown procedure. students huddled in classrooms for hours and evacuated without incident. 13-year-old student was in at the time. >> i was feeling relief there was no shooting, no guns involved. i was just very thankful i -- that the school handled us so wally szczerbiak and i was able to get out safely. the security chief has implemented the new policies. >> there are only to 2 times we know our emergency procedures work one is the ally emergency to find out if they don't. and the other is if we practiced. but this particular district is practicing those drills and as a result, they are red bring. >> it is a tough balance say educators between keeping schools safe and maintaining some semblance of a welcoming

learning environment. >> we are always looking at what a better ways to keep students safe. we know when they are safe, they will learn. >> it is a lesson in safety nobody hopes to test. for al jazeera. >> a former police chief in georgia now works as a school safety consultant. michael, welcome. >> thank you, sir. good evening. >> does every school system need those sorts ofbest solutior location for the risk levels. so one size doesn't fit all andl conditions when you assess schools and you look at what the risks are you can

determine better where your money, time and energy are best spent. it is particularly important since violence has never been the leading cause of death. make sure we are addressing the other situations while addressing violence. you to have look at each situation. >> i understand each situation is different but what do you ramona in general for many schools? >> well, we ramona assessment baseddence based approaches. there are a lot of things that aren't tested or evaluated that don't work as well as we might think. >> like what? >> well the concept to teach people to attack an active shooter. we have had six deaths from people contacting someone with a weapon trying to in some way confront. and there are thousands of people being trained to do so at a last resort. but when we test those, those methods toddologies don't bear out. time will tell whether we will

see problems with that in the field. meanwhile, there are evidence based approaches like deescalation that has been proven to reduce injuries and deaths. >> how does that work? >> that is teaching staff how to teach people to reduce aggression. a number of the school districts have been using those one right there in the same illinois area has reduced teacher injuries by almost 70% using that type of train. what do you make of the fact that the teacher decided to leave the a lot more about the specifics than i do. but we completed a massive research project for a new book staying alive how to stay alive. the normal protocol for any situation, not only in schools is step one, protect yourself, and step people in the immediate area, protect the building or a lockdown for the school and then call the

police, step 4. so it is very unusual. but, one thing is adaptability. so the sheriff says that was the appropriate action. it is just highly unusual to see a teacher leave a school when is report of someone with a weapon. i don't have the specifics facts the much. >> have a good even. ,. well the obama administration is responding to new about an american who vanished in iran. early reports said he was there on a business trip, but both the associated press and "washington post" are now reporting that levinson was there working for the c.i.a. today the white house criticized those reports. >> there is somebody detained overseas and it is published true or false that he is working for the c.i.a. i think it is dictated biologic that that very likely puts that person in greater danger.

what i can tell you is he was not a u.s. government employee when he made the trip. the state department asked the associated press not to run the story out of concern for his safety. >> it is not only seven years since bob levinson disappeared. he is now the longest held hostage in history. his family held a -- received a video of him in 2011. >> i'm not in good health. i'm running from quickly out of diabetes medicine. i have been treated well, but i need the help of the united states government. but in the past almost three years there has been nothing to confirm he is still alive. he was on a business trip when he disappeared. now the associated press news agency is reporting that levinson was on an unapproved intelligence mission for the

c.i.a. they wouldn't confirm he was spying. >> i don't have any comment whatsoever on the condition with respect to employment or any other issue except to save that we have raised the issue of his whereabouts. i personally raised it with the iranians and of course our discussions, and we will continue to try to seek his release and return to the united states. >> the news agency says the c.i.a. paid the levinson family $2.5 million to avoid a lawsuit and disciplined ten analysts. the levinson family say -- >> bob is a courageous man who desiccated himself including risking his own life in service to the u.s. government but they have failed to make saving this man's life a priority. those in the government have done their duty in efforts to find bob but those who have not. it is time for the u.s. government to step up and take

care of one of its own after nearly seven years, our family should not be struggling to get through each day without this wonderful, caring man that we love so much. >> the iranians insist they do not know where bob levinson is and there is no evidence he is in the country. the video was sent from a pakistani internet cafe but the trail goes hold. the u.s. offered 1 million for his safe return but they are no closer to finding. well people in parts of the east coast are preparing for a rough weather weekend. forecasters expect six inches of know around the new york city connecticut area and a foot of snow in parts of new england. a weather advisory has been posted for early tomorrow until sunday morning. rebecca stevenson is tracking the storm and joins with us more. hi. >> hi john. we will see an exceptional amount of snow. specific live we will get that in indiana, illinois. tonight that snow is already coming down. and we have got a line of

mixed precipitation, snow, rain or just plain sleet. and that line you can see here is going across the central portion of illinois and we are concerned about roadways over towards ohio tonight. but the heaviest snow coming in from the great lakes. as we look at the great lakes. that lake effects machine has been going. we have cities that typically get exceptional snow amounts still all normal in the amount of snow they have had. buffalo, new york is one of them. well the amount of snow we expect around the great lakes is going to range from 6 to eight inches. the areas that get the greatest amounts of snow will be pushing up into the northeast through vermont tomorrow. will take more time into the later evening. for that snow to start pushing up into farther maine. so we will still have the risk of mixed sleet and rain and snow into parts of the northeast on sunday. it is going to be a cool stretch. snow always makes it feel

cooler than it actually is. so our forecast for saturday is going to be a wintry one and expect it to be mainly rain closer to the coast for maryland, with so as we look at our satellite not the only place getting know? united states. we are also seeing the snow still coming down in parts of syria. john? >> thank you. spy games, the president receives recommendations for the nsa surveillance program. and whale wars. captain paul patson has been called an environmental environl activist as well as an echo terrorist for his work to save the whales. we'll talk to him next. >> he wanted to cut the growth in cost of living adjustments and others that felt that was the wrong way to go to start to cut entitlements or at least slow the growth of entitlements. both of them came to a neutral, compromised ground. this is a compromise of the sort that people have been asking for for quite some time. the bottom line here, those

conservative objections are getting some traction, but the betting is now this evening that this is going to pass the house of representatives on thursday and go to the senate the next week and end up on the president's desk, joie. >> mike, thanks for being with us. we'll follow up. ahead. the international space station marks 15 years. are we getting enough bang for our buck, or is it just taking up space? get it? >> he is a man with a mission. captain paul patson is devoted putting an end to whaling. watson is the star of animal

planet's whale wars. he tries to stop japanese whale hunters. yap knees have an international warrant for watson's arrest. he was forced to live on the ocean for more than a year. captain paul watson from sea shepherd conservation society joins us in our studio. thank you for being with us tonight. >> thank you. >> first of all, you have been called an echo terrorist, a pirate, an activist. how do you characterize the tack takes -- tactics that you used? >> we have been doing this for 35 years. we have never called cawed injury to one person. we are not a protest operatep operation. >> for those who haven't watched what you do, explain what the tactics are. you ram fishing boats? >> no, we have in the past. but our strategy is to block the japanese from loading dead whales. if they can't load dead whales they can't kill them. we also keep them on the run

and chase them for thousands of miles along the coast of antarctica and prevent them from refueling. they only took less than 9% of their question quo t last year. why do you do this? >> the japanese are targeting threatened and protected whales in the sanctuary in violation of a global moratorium and in contempt of the australian federal court. these people are criminals. the government is not stopping them. we don't want to see the diminishment of life in the ocean. we will intervene. what is it that hit you and made you decide to take your own life in your hands. this is dangerous work. >> i was raised in an east coast canadian fishing village. i saw the steady diminishment of life in our oceans. one thing i have come to realize as the oceans die, we die. we don't live on this planet with a dead ocean. results is done to protect diverse knit our oceans. you have been a fugitive.

you were on the ocean for a year because you couldn't land anywhere. you are wanted in japan, right? >> japan and costa rica put me on the red list with interpol. with costa rica i stopped an operation as the request of the guatemalan government but they charged with me with eight counts of attempted murder. when they saw the evidence they dropped the charges. then i didn't hear anything for another 10 years until i was arrested in germany and that charge came about 10 days after the president of costa rica met with the prime minister of japan. you landed here in the united states facing a contempt of court charge; is that right? >> yeah, charged with 21 counts of contempt in february 2012. the seattle judge denied the japanese their injunction and then in december it was overturned by the 9th circuit court without any explanation given. we were already at sea at that

time but we immediately withdraw and they did not fund it and i stood down. but despite that, we are charged with 21 counts. you are still waiting to see what your legal status will be in the united states; is that correct? >> yeah, that is a civil suit though. >> but that kept you on the ocean for 15 months, all the legal trouble? not. >> not the civil suit. into the international trouble around the world. >> right. japan is a country so they get away with crimes. they destroyed our $2 million vessel. they get away it with. we are upholding the law and they come after us using the law. >> let's talk about the whales. what do you see the future of the whales? >> unless we protect them it is not an optimistic future. the oceans are being affected in so many ways diminishment of fisheries, we are taking the food out of the mouths of whales and dolphins and killing them on top of that. and all of this diversity in

the ocean is necessary to maintain the life support system of this planet. the ocean is our life support system. we can't continue raping the oceans and expect to survive. will you continue these similar activities? i mean, would you ram a ship again to stop whales from being killed? >> we will intervene against illegal whaling activities yes. but we are also working to stop poaching in south africa. and working with rangers. stop shark pinning. we have got dozens of projects worldwide. >> captain, it is good to see. thank you for sharing your stories with just works we appreciate it. >> in the crosshairs again. sadly familiar seen in colorado as children flee their high school after another shooting. plus an alleged bomb plot why an aviation technician was trying to blow up the wichita airport. tñ

welcome back to al jazeera, america i'm john seigenthaler, here are the top stories. the white house on the

defense, press secretary jake carney says robert levinson was not a government employee when he disappeared. multiple reports say he was an a mission for the c.i.a. when he was captured. crowds of mourners breakthrough barriers and confront police as they try to say good-bye to nelson mandela. it was the last opportunity for south africans to pay their respects before he is buried. a shooting at a high school in colorado. this time it happened just outside of denver in the town of centennial. a v says a student entered arapahoe high school armed with a shotgun. two students were shot. one is in critical condition. the suspect was found dead from what police say was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. paul beban j recovered.

all we know is they have been recovered and that they are in possession of the police right now. the press conference still ongoing. as you mentioned, one of the wounded students still in the hospital, still in surgery as far as we understand it at this hour. the others released, one of them suffering anxiety related injuries from the incident. but at this hour, just one student still in the hospital. >> the one thing we don't know is why this happened. we heard that the student came into the high school and wanted to see a teacher and that that teacher then left the school. but other than, we don't know anything else, right? >> right. that's right.

there was some discussion during the press conference about whether the student had been suspended as a result of other interaction, and what the nature of the disagreement was win the teacher and student remains unclear. the police would not or could not confirm what it was. but it is known that the student did come in and i announced he was looking for that teacher and the teacher promptly left the, paul beban in colorado will keep us up to date. this is the 25th school shooting this year. several states have focused on new gun laws. in california, lawmakers passed nearly a dozen bills making the strictest gun laws in the country. >> 18 bills were put forward

in the california legislature. 11 were passed into law making california one of the states with the strictest gun control laws in the country. it is now illegal to purchase parts that would allow you to upgrade a handgun into an assault style weapon. if you own a rifle or shotgun you need to pass a firearms safety test. and we often talk about the connection between mental health and gun violence. well in california, if you are a therapist, you are now allowed to report to police if your patient has declared an intention to harm a specific individual. very controversial not just the gun control aspect but the confidentiality aspect of it. these are all laws that have been passed last year. >> melissa chan, thank you. >> now tougher laws are one

way to fight gun violence. gun violence detection is another. they hope to identify the gunfire and track gun shoots shots the moment they occur. our technology correspondent jacob ward is in san francisco the sound of a gunshot that is very loud reaches those microphones in success they can try angulate their position. the technology can detect which way they are going and at what speed. >> what lessons can we learn about gunfire in america as a result of t a 911 call.

we are seeing patterns like basically the idea is that 25 to 50 times more gunfire may be going off than we previously thought. it means four out of five instances are not reported and we are seeing thing likes people test driving a gun in an isolated area and going down the block three or four hours later and using it. >> could the interesting

information. thank you. >> thank you. >> the white house is not budging on surveillance. they will keep a record with the national security agency. that is despite a report that the "wall street journal" -- it was leaked to the "wall street journal." mike vicara has more on that. >> the long-awaited report is

here. in the wake of the eric snowden affair to look into way they could change their practices to account for a lot of the technology that has brought us the report. there was outrage throughout the year in the wake of the eric snowden leaks. as heads of state using their cell phones had been eavesdropped. of course internet, telephone trans missions, what became known as mehta data and in the wake of it all, the president while at the same time swearing that the law was beinged a hered to said he was open to looking at new ways, new techniques to approach the problem. the white house spokesman, here is what he had to say. part of the process that the president has asked for is one that will allow us to be as transparent as possible and as

he said propose some self-restraint on the nsa and initiate some reforms that can give people some confidence in giving more confidence and giving more information. >> now, dribs and drabs of the draft port that is being sent to the white house, the white house will look it over. there could be significant changes made after it is reviewed by the intelligence community including the national security agency. but what we are learning from the "new york times" and elsewhere is that there are more provisions to protect the privacy of foreigners overseas. remember the restrictions chiefly about gathering this intelligence and telephone communications as well as internet communications applies mostly to american citizens not to foreign individuals or entities, also the issues of heads of state. the issue of heads of state, eavesdropping on a cell phone, special priority given to that. they have also talked about

the sisa court top secret court formed over the intelligence community to get the warrants that it needs conduct intelligence. the president was talking about a need for a public advocate to act as a defense tern for the public interest to raise objections, something that does not happen there for the time being or has not happened over the course of the fisa court. that is also being considered. the white house is not going to be having any reaction to this until likely after the holidays. john? >> mike vicara ratterring from -- from the white house. >> the f.b.i. says he drove what he thought was a vehicle to the airport. but undercover agents had fake explosives. no one was hurt but federal authorities say it shows a threat to america's heartland is real. >> today's arrests emphasizes

that homegrown tisk is a continous threat within the united states. while we feel protected here in the heartland in the middle of america, we have a certain sense of security. but today, again, it reminds us that terrific remains a very real threat. >> lowan is a technician who works at the airport. he was arrested trying to use a security guard to access airport grounds. joie chen is standing by with what is coming up at the top of the hour. >> good evening, john. tonight on our program we are going to look at the images of nelson mandela's legacy. an extraordinary look. the photographers in the bang-bang club kept the images coming even in the struggles of apartheid. his photographs document the transition to democracy and to

its first democratically elect black leader. >> the nice thing about photography is you do a lot of observing and mandela was a fascinating character. i think he had incredible self restraint. he was very moral and had fantastic ideals and he strove. >> we will get a look at the extraordinary time and more at the fantastic shots coming up on america tonight, john. >> joie, thank you very much. it is an important week for college football. tomorrow we will know who wins the heisman trophy. every year it is awarded to the most outstanding player. mark, there is a controversy surrounding this year's candidate though. >> it is taking a different turn. the attorney for the woman who accused florida state quarterback jameis winston of sexual assault, the key evidence is wasn't included in documents released to the press. during a news conference

patricia carroll listed several inconsistencies in police reports but focused in on important information she says was left out of documents that were released publicly. >> information, the prescription given to the victim for pain does not include a circle that says follow up with the family, it does not include seeks you'll assault, muscle strain, lumbar, muscle strain lower extremities. all of those notations are absent from the medical document, the identical medical document except for the omissions, the same document. >> now carroll also said the attorney general of the state of florida conducted an independent investigation into the case and also into how the tallahassee police department handled this case. i'd like to income our college football analyst of yahoo sports of joins us from denver. just your overall impressions

of what consensual sex happening and she questioned the validity of the statements. there were a lot of points that she made in this report and in this press conference that raise some eyebrows and definitely make you question how thorough the investigation was. >> graham, in your mind how important are the attorneys claims of redacted documents since you dramatically held those up, omitted physical injuries to the woman, medication for the accuser and a

seven pages were omitted. >> the heisman trophy presentation here in new york city. is there any chance a.j.

mccarron. he won the maxwell award yesterday. which is given to the best college football player. it is kind of the mini heisman. but no freshman has won the award to date. it.e is no -- there is a >> thank you. >> thank you. >> all right. that wraps it up. and one other thing, the attorney said right now her client does not want to file a civil lawsuit. >> but he is going to win it sounds like. >> probably so. >> thank you. coming up next, the arts. why support for the arts in seattle is causing so much controversy. plus, an icon in pictures. a filmmaker talks about his last photo shot with nelson mandela. >>

have been telling you in the san joaquim river, freeze warnings in effect. never seen too much in terms of rain. los angeles, you are going to be seeing some beautiful weather all the way to sunday even into the low 70 did or high 60s, partly cloudy conditions, overnight, about 44 degrees. texas also dry for you as well. we saw rain showers and a mix of precip just a little bit up here towards the north.

>> a large storm will be moving over the northeast. great lakes you will have a lot of snow coming down. near the lakes we have anywhere from two to four inches of snow. but forth eout where the heavy snow bands celt up, now here we are forecasting two to three inches of know this evening. two to three inches of snow overnight and into the morning hours. it is going to change travel

for a large portion, not just the great lakes. but over into pennsylvania and new york. heading a little farther south. again, we will deal with icy mix. west virginia, right along the virginia state line, you are going to get freezing rain again overnight into tomorrow. it will expand farther north as we get into our saturday. so it is setting up perfectly for some research to be done and however we have the ontario winter lake effects snow research going on, national science foundation is funding this and they will be using the doppler on wheels around the great lakes.

>> we like to kick off every week wend a closer look at the arts. for nearly 40 years seattle has been setting aside 1% of

its budget to fund artworks. now some are a sing if that money is well spent. >> armed with an exacto knife and swaths of delicate paper seattle artist is left kooning begins a rewarding night of her latest work. >> it is about joy. >> her biggest masterpiece. a sculpture at the entryway of a public park. >> this is definitely my first permanent legacy to the city so i'm certainly attached to this new piece. >> since 1973, sculptures, paintings and murals have been sprouting up all over seattle, from street corners and us about stops to high atop one of seattle's most scenic overlooks and hallways of city hall. >> i'm proud of all of that it we do. >> public art gives the city character she believes. the art is about the soul of the city. it is an identity for the

city. and there are certainly benefits to making people feel proud of where they live. >> 1% of fund forget city roadways and infrastructure is spent on seattle's public art. the goal is to add another element for tourists and conventioners to enjoy also enriching the lives of locals. as the city has evolved so has the type of art. 20 years ago the city decided to try something new. functional art like the benches. some critics believe the entire program is a waste of money. i think it is a ridiculous waste of money. >> for years seattle radio personality dorimonson has used his program to complain about the program. he believes the money should be used for other things. >> i don't want to be a spartan city, but i do think that there would be enough through the private sector or maybe a modest investment.

butty has just blown completely out of proportion of what i think the taxpayers thought they were getting when they voted for this years ago. >> the city is growing. and with that 1% there is 1% for creative people to you know contribute, to beautify. >> coo inning believes art is making a difference. it gives the opportunity to use the city of seattle as their van vast. >> al jazeera, seattle. >> two years ago nelson mandela agreed to pose for photos to raise money for a south african hospital. the photographer remembers the day. >> the expression behind nelson mandela, he was the drive for us for the project. for me, he had been, i guess an inspiration since my teens since i sat there in australia and watch him.

i think coming here six years ago and living here is to really understand what he had done. in 2011 i did a portrait of him for an arts project and it was just an absolute -- absolutely unforgettable experience. so of course for nelson mandela it is just another day in the life of nelson mandela. he is meeting people so inspired by him and so taken with what he has achieved and all he does is make you feel comfortable. he makes you feel that you are an important one. >> that's good. >> the reflection, the portrait metaphor of the reflection of man in the mirror was very much for the people of south africa because his spirit, what he represent says in every single one. for that portrait, it was very strong for me that filled that we needed to reflect for ourselves about what mandela had achieved in his life.

and i think given access to shoot the portrait was a life changing experience for the whole crew. we were all very nervous. obviously i photographed him quite a few times before but not a proper portrait sitting. there is an intimacy. the crew was crying and very emotional. the whole thing was an emotional piece. >> the shoot was special to spend the time and they cherished the time that they had obviously for many of the family. they lost him for 27 years and to have the time with them now means everything to them and to watch nelson mandela's face light up when a child comes over and -- i mean, that for me was really extraordinary to watch a great grandchild. i mean, to him, to that little child is just grand dad. to the rest of the world he is the most significant statesman, probably the most

significant freedom fighter of the 20th century. but to that little child at that moment, he is just the old man between him and the birthday cake. and that is probably a very enduring memory i'll have of nelson mandela is his love of the youth. his love of innocence, his love of the absolute potential of children at that age and what he achieved and what he has been through. he didn't need to find the energy to give his feedback and give the joy and his memories with us. i'm just eternally grateful that i spent intimate moments with him. that is what medeeva's legacy came to me for me. the generations of men and women making this world a better place. our thanks to photographer adrian steirn. we turn now from photography to broadway.

it might be too kinky for some. but kinky boots would have an impact on society. ♪ ♪ tñ

>> broadway musicals usually hit a high note for the holidays. one show is raising the curtains on tough issues by sticking by its message. we leave tonight with a story from emily drew. >> it's playful, colorful and upbeat. it is this year's tony award winner for best musical about a young man whose shoe factory is saved by a drag queen who needs sturdy, kinky boots. >> i think it's the story about you know, two unlikely people finding the human connection. >> but, this holiday season, the broadway musical kinky boots kicked up controversy. the cast performed at the macy's thanksgiving day parade and the twitters sphear erupted. in m why home phone, others

showed concern for children. kinky boots is popular but is not appropriate family viewing. kinky boots was very inappropriate for young kids like a gay flash mob on my kids in my living room. >> it is hard not to want to fire back when people say that and have a knee-jerk reaction. >> and they called me ru paul which is doubly racist because all black drag queens do not look-alike. >> the cast had a response the next day. >> we just went shopping in full drag in the men's department in our finale costumes. >> on black friday. >> call it the solidarity shopping spree with macies. >> broadway shows are made to entertain. but they also have a history of addressing social controversy. sometimes when they do, business gets a boost. >> i think it has been demonstrated there was a bump in ticket sales after

thanksgiving. so that way the controversy boomeranged in the opposite direction. >> the month, kinky boots smashed previous box office records grossing nearly $2 million in a single week. any of that publicity helped, great. >> bring it. it showed how social media can bring in a whole new audience. >> the conversation can happen in a way that is relatively safe for everyone involved irrespective of their political suits or religious views or gender view. >> the holidays are usually a busy time on broadway and the concerningy boots stars say this season is also a good reason to keep their message alive. >> the lyric is pursue the truth, learn something new -- >> respect yourself and you will respect others too. >> let love shine. let bride be your guide. you change the world when you change your mind.

♪ >> the very sim lyric they sang on national television. emily drew, al jazeera, new york. >> >> white house says retired fbi agent robert levinson was not a fbi member, but